Hamas is set to free six more live hostages on Saturday, Feb. 22, in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, and says it will release four more bodies next week, completing the cease-fire’s first phase.
That will leave Hamas in control of around 60 hostages, all men, many of whom are believed to be dead.
Hamas negotiators have refused to release the final hostages without a permanent cease-fire and a full withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip.
Netanyahu, who has the full support of the Trump administration, says he is committed to destroying Hamas’s military capabilities. But he also wants the return of the final hostages.
The Hamas-controlled health ministry in Gaza says 48,000 Palestinians have died in the territory since Oct. 7, 2023.
Last month Trump suggested the United States take over the Gaza Strip, remove the estimated 2 million Palestinians to neighboring Arab countries, and then demolish and rebuild the area.
Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia have rejected Trump’s proposal.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.